TROUSSEAU Every bride deserves a special day and we help create it©

Every bride deserves a special day and we help create it©

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Ahoy hoy! ( Montgomery??) My name is Catherine “Cat” McCue, and I am thrilled to invite you to read our first issue of Trousseau! Our mission is to provide expertise advice and tips for every bride-to-be. We combine sophistication, elegance, and creativity into every page, in order to make your wedding day unforgettable. Brides are able to see all the latest bridal trends, themes, and venues, in one magazine. Our professional organization team will give their expertise advice on preparing and keeping track of all the events and must do’s leading up to your wedding. Every bride deserves a special day and we help create it© A little background on muah, I graduated from LIM College in New York City with a B.B.A. in Fashion Merchandising. I have always been a cleaning and organizing machine, and I even thought of becoming a maid around 8 years old. I had great ambition. My plans then drastically changed while my interest in fashion increased, and I became awed by those darn supermodels of the 90s.But, although my love of fashion never died, my career goals did. I need not work for Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar, instead thought I could create a magazine all by myself. And obviously I did. Aren’t I intriguing?? I hope you enjoy Trousseau, but if not… (Fist Shake) Warmest Wishes, Cat McCue xo

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Table of Contents:

The Do’s and Do Not’s An interview with two past brides dishing about what to do and not to do when you’re planning a wedding.

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8 She May Have One More Thing Up Her Sleeve Vera Wang’s Fall 12’ Bridal Collection is not what you may think.

11 The Celebrity Curse Don’t compete with celebrity weddings, just get inspired by them.

Clever Girl Clever wedding tricks that every bride should know 13

Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue? 14

Neither your, face, shape, or thighs, can change the fact that you’re a beautiful bride! The perfect dress for every shape and size.

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Simple Do-It-Yourself Wedding Make-Up

Bride-to-Be, Jodi Morena shows how simple it is to enhance your beauty

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Don’t Let Your Wedding Knock You Out

A Boxing Inspired Photo shoot & “Wedding Punches” you may need to take to pull off a memorable wedding.

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Three-Tiered Bridal Shower Cupcakes Recipe

Movie Review: The Philadelphia Story Starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, & James Stewart

Book Review: The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner: Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Music Review: Wedding Music Rescue! Stop playing the “Electric Slide!”

Restaurant Review: ‘21’ Club Perfect venue for an intimate bridal shower.

Wedding Trend: Cake Balls!! A new kind of wedding cake, and yes it’s still delicious.

For The Love Off… Photos of the biggest wedding DON’TS !!

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Wedding Advice

Show's like Bridezilla's have created a new era of over impulsive and demanding brides, who are only concerned about their own needs.

I will be interviewing two past brides, Kim and Sue, both who came from different generations of wedding planning. I will be asking them what they think are the key "Do's" and "Do Not's” of planning a wedding. And bring their own Bridal wisdom to today’s out of control brides…

K im Murphy Gallagher,

32, is the mother of three beautiful children, Colin, Abby, and Quinn. And married her husband, Justin, on July 25th 2003. She has always loved weddings, and wanted to be a wedding planner her entire life. So when she got engaged, she jumped at the opportunity to plan her own wedding. And through her intense wedding preparation she learned some great advice and tips for any bride-to-be.

Kim’s “Do’s” and “Do Not’s”

♦ Do not pick your wedding party to far in advance. Because sometimes you pick bridesmaids from all different journeys in your life and sometimes they don’t mesh.

♦ Don’t be demanding with your wedding party

♦ Don’t sweat the small stuff, because when it comes to your wedding

The D ’s and Do Not’s By: Catherine McCue

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day your worried about the weather, your worried about every little thing, every little detail that is going wrong, and in the end your married and that’s all that matters. And that’s a big thing, I think brides get too obsessed with, is all the little things. So, don’t sweat the small stuff.

Sue Roe, 54, was

married to her husband, Gary, on May 5th, 1979, and birthed two wonderful sons, Stephen (22) and David (24). She still talks about how much fun and exciting it was to get married even after so many years have passed, and agrees that today’s brides have become more like Bridezilla’s then human beings.

Sue’s Do’s and Do Not’s

♦ You have to think when your planning a wedding reasonably, you can’t think extravagant and above your means, because that’s whats going to make a bridezilla, I think.

♦ Do not be critical of what your wife to be or husband to be wants because just because it might not be the same thing as you, you have to find a common ground, it is both of your weddings not just yours.

♦ And the people you ask to be in your wedding, you have to reasonable with them also, you can’t expect

people to go above their means because that’s what you want. So you have to think about the people your asking in the wedding and you have to think about the parents involved, I think you have to think about everyone all the way around, not just you the bride or you the groom. You have to think of finances, and again be reasonable.

♦ You can’t be obsessed with making a wedding “perfect”, it’s unrealistic.

♦ Don’t get drunk at your own wedding! A bride should look beautiful and elegant their wedding day, not keeled over a toilet during your reception.

Kim and Justin’s Wedding. July 25, 2003.

Wedding Advice

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What was your favorite experience when planning your wedding?

Kim: Well, I was a little wedding obsessed so I liked every detail, but my favorite experience was going dress shopping with my mom.

Sue: I think trying on the dresses, and I think when you were trying on the dresses you felt like a princess, you tried all different things. Also, you looked at different restaurants, tried different menus, but the dress would my favorite.

And what would be the one thing you would do over?

Kim: Well, this is a silly detail because I just told you not to sweat the small stuff, but I didn’t like the way my flowers were wrapped. I don’t like big bows and the guy made a huge big bow on it, and he didn’t wrap them on the bottom and all the stems were sticking out and that really bothered me. But it was the small stuff so I didn’t worry about it.

I also wish it lasted longer. I would have paid more money to just make it longer than it was, because it was perfect. And it was all family, and we got everyone involved, so it was great.

Sue: Gary wouldn’t wear all white! We definitely showed our age. I don’t know what we were thinking. The groomsmen were black pants with a white jacket, which I thought looked fine. But I think I would definitely change my husband’s suit! But, other than that, I loved my wedding, I was a little bit nervous at the ceremony itself, but at the reception I really turned around, and I really had a good time. I enjoyed my wedding from start to finish.

Sue and Gary (wearing Sue’s favorite white tuxedo) on their wedding day. May 5, 1979.

Wedding Advice

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SHE MAY HAVE ONE MORE THING

UP HER SLEEVE BY: CATHERINE MCCUE

Designer News

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Aren’t wedding gowns becoming a little “blah”? But what the current Vera Wang Fall 12 collection, strutting down the runway, makes me think that at least one designer finally got the point! Incorporating black, nude, and tan into the gowns is genius. Wedding shopping has never been so exciting and daring ever! The collection is appropriately named “Witchcraft”. And sends gasps and surprise towards the known romantic/frou frou designer. But, honestly, I don’t know why people are so surprised about the collection, seeing that most brides SHOULDN’T really be wearing white anyways. I think it’s innovative and daring, and brings a deeper respect to the famous designer. The hand-made pieces will make you spellbound!

Designer News

Bio Behind the Designer Vera was born in June 27, 1949, in New York City. She was a former figure skater

who competed professionally. Then at the age of 23,

she became the Fashion Director for

Vogue. The position she kept for 15

years! But her true passion was designing and making her own wedding gowns. 1n 1990, She opened up her own bridal

boutique in the Carlyle

Hotel on Madison

Avenue in New York City.

Her first global recognition was when

she designed a beaded leotard worn by Nancy Kerrigan during the 1994 Winter Olympics. She then began to catch the eyes of celebrities with the introduction of upscale eveningwear. Stars like Halle Berry, Goldie Hawn, Charlize Theron, Anjelica Huston, and Meg Ryan, were all some of the first celebrities to wearing her clothing on the red carpet. Since then Vera become one of, if not the biggest, retailer in bridal gowns. And in 2006, she

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partnered with Kohl’s to design a less expensive ready-to-wear line to only be sold at Kohl’s stores. Other celebrities and designer’s later followed her idea, and developed signature lines for other less-expensive retailer’s. Vera Wang is a true innovator, whose name has become legendary in the fashion world. So much so, that she began to become a bit of annoyance to the general public. But, with ther new Witchcraft Bridal Collection, she may just have one more thing up her sleeve.

Designer News

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The Celebrity Curse By: Catherine McCue When it comes to planning a wedding, the first sentence usually from any brides-to-be is “I want it to look like (Insert Celebrities Name) wedding”. Yes, this may sound quite intriguing, but in a struggling economy and moth’s coming out of everyone’s pockets, the celebrity wedding allure can become quite challenging to pull-off. But, with a little help

Can you tell which bouquet is made of fake roses?

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from muah, I can guarantee your wedding will have that celebrity wedding flare, without the high dollar sign. To begin, choose a celebrity wedding your obsessed with. Whether it was Princess Diane’s or Christina Aguilera’s. They write down what were the key aspects that made their wedding so unbelievable. For example, Christina Aguilera’s blue lighting during her reception made the wedding look sophisticated and modern. Got it! Now that you have your list think of ways you can achieve these looks. Either buy or borrow lighting fixtures from friends or family, purchase blue light bulbs, and walla! Sure, people may not mistake it for Christina Aguilera’s multimillion dollar wedding, but it will give it that extra oomph you wedding needed. Another tip that can be easily done and no one will be the wiser is FAKE FLOWER. No, you don’t substitute fake flowers for your

bouquet, but buy tall centerpieces and place the flowers on top. No one will touch them or know the difference BORROW!! Many brides do not take advantage of the willingness of friends and family to help you during your special day. I bet either you or a friend knows someone who knows someone, who would happily supply you

with decorating. You can even persuade them by saying that it can be good advertising for your business. Let the guest’s be your photographers! Place disposable cameras on every table of your reception, and allow your guests to go wild. This can

be really enjoyable for your guest and you can get some really great photos. And they all won’t look like they were staged. I understand you most likely don’t want disposable cameras at your wedding ceremony s

Christina Aguilera’s Wedding Reception

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C lever G irl

Clever wedding tricks that every bride should know

By: C

atherine McC

ue

♦ Buy fake nails! ($6.00) Put them on the day of the wedding, and know one will know!

♦ Wear a girdle! It’s doesn’t matter what size you are, a girdle

smoothes every little unsightly bump. ♦ Tell the Limo service to come 2 hours before you actually have to

leave. ♦ Don’t want your wedding party to get too drunk before the

ceremony? Pass around some non-alcoholic champagne. They will never know!

♦ Prepare a wedding emergency bag far in advance of the big day.

Inside it put a stain remover, sewing kit, glue, ribbon, etc. Anything you think you may need if something goes wrong.

♦ Eat before your wedding! Many brides want to look as thin as

possible while walking down the aisle, but fainting won’t look any better. Another reason for the eating is that if you are serving alcohol, you don’t want to be drunk walking down the aisle!

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Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue?

Origins behind classic wedding traditions

Comes from an Old English rhyme "Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in your Shoe The four objects: good luck charms Something Old: represents continuity

Something New: offers optimism for the future

Something Borrowed: symbolizes borrowed happiness

Something Blue: stands for purity, love, and fidelity

Sixpence in your Shoe: wish for good fortune and prosperity

Interesting wedding facts:

• Ancient Romans broke a cake over the bride's head to symbolize fertility or abundance

• The wedding ring has traditionally been worn on the third finger of the left • The first Kiss: Many cultures believed that the couple exchanged spirits

with their breath and part of their souls were exchanged as wellhand because it was believed that a vein in this finger ran directly to the heart

• The Honeymoon: The first weddings comprised of a groom taking his bride by capture. He would take her somewhere hidden away so her ���relatives and villagers couldn't find them.

• The Gown: Traditionally, brides did not wear white wedding gowns. Through the 18th century, most brides just wore their Sunday best to their wedding. Red was a favorite during the Middle Ages in Europe. Other colors were worn for symbolic reasons: blue meant constancy and green meant youth.

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Neither your, face, shape, or thighs, can change the fact that you’re a beautiful bride!

Every bride should feel beautiful on her wedding day, but sadly that is nearly ever the case. You don’t have to be a size 0 or 2 to be beautiful, and you don’t have to look like Angelina Jolie to look ravishing. All you need to do is to be yourself, and show people what true beauty is made of. You hate your legs, show off your arm, hate your back, show off your chest, (well don’t completely show it off.)

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Choosing a dress that looks good on you!

Apple-Shaped

Busty

Pear-Shaped

Straight-Lined Tall

Small-Chested Petite

Plus-Sized

Going wedding dress shopping shouldn’t be terrifying, if you know what silhouette to look for. From big bust, too small bust, there is a dress for you.

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Simple Do-It-Yourself Wedding

Make-Up

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1. My Victim: Jodi Morena, Bare-Faced

2. Close up bare eye 3. Mac Black Liquid Eye-Liner 4. Gold Shimmer Applied from the

Bottom of the Brown to the Liner (Adds Pop!!)

5. Light Brown eyes-shadow applied to the lid of the eye

6. A mixture of dark brown and hunter green applied to lid to emphasize her hazel eyes

7. Apply a thin layer of Mac Powder Foundation, to the entire face, in order to have an even skin tone

8. A light application of Mac Bronzer Applied to the entire face. Then add Mac’s Fleur Powder Blush to the cheekbones.

9. Outline the lips in Mac’s “In Anticipation” Lip Pencil and blend

10. Finally, lightly apply Mac’s Underage Lipglass to finish the look!

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Before

After

Get Jodi’s simple wedding make-up look:

I. 6 Snowglobe Eye Shadows/Warm. $38.00 II. Tinted Lipglass. “Underage”. $14.50. III. Pro Longwear Lip Pencil. “In Anticipation”. $18.00. IV. False Lashes Extreme Black Mascara. $19.00 V. Superslick Liquid Eye Liner. “Marked for Glamour”, $17.50 VI. Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation. “C3”. $26.50. VII. Bronzing Powder. “Golden”. $23.00. VIII. Powder Blush. “Fleur Powder”. $19.50.

I.

II. III. IV. V.

VI. VII. VIII.

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Don’t Let Your Wedding Knock You Out By: Catherine McCue

A Boxing Inspired Photo

shoot & “Wedding Punches” you may need to take to pull off a memorable wedding.

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ROUND 1. Dealing with the expectations and the arrival of your in-laws ROUND 2. Shopping, planning, and reservations ROUND 3. Fittings, Food-Tastings… re-fitting

ROUND 4. Creating the guest list ROUND 5. The inevitable bachelor party ROUND 6. Choosing a wedding cake style/favor, you’ll both like ROUND 7. Choosing bridesmaids ROUND 8. Announcing that children are NOT allowed.

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ROUND 9. Choosing the entertainment. ROUND 10. Dealing with that “one” uncle. ROUND 11. Worrying about the weather ROUND 12. Saving Money!

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Three-Tier Bridal Shower Cupcakes

Ingredients 3 1/4 cups all-purpose

flour

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Pink gel-paste food coloring

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line

muffin tins with paper liners. In a mixer bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, yolk, water, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla; beat together.

2. Divide batter among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until deep golden brown, about 30 minutes for large, 25 minutes for standard, and 22 minutes for mini. Transfer tins to rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove from tins; let cool completely.

3. To assemble: Divide buttercream in thirds (3 cups for bottom tiers, 2 for middle, and 1 for top); color each in a different pink. Using a dab of buttercream between layers as "glue," stack the cupcakes. Using a U-shaped petal tip (such as Ateco No. 80), pipe petals around outside of each layer,

Martha Stewart Weddings, Summer 2009

The Three-Tiered Bridal Shower Cupcake, will not only save you money, but will also “Wow” your guests’.

Yield Makes 12 tiered cupcakes (12 of each cupcake size); or makes 15 large, 33 standard, or 108 mini

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Film Review

The Philadelphia Story is a true classic that ha some of the greatest cinema stars of all times playing the lead actors. Katherine Hepburn play Tracy Lord, and rich socialite, whose attitude and demeanor, make her like no other women. C.K. Dexter Haven, played by Cary Grant, was married to Tracy Lord, before his over drinking ripped them apart. Two years later after they had been split, Tracy is preparing to marry George Kittredge, an aspiring politician and bit of a dud. A day before the wedding Dexter shows up with 2 unannounced guest, one being James Stewart, to make sure that Tracy Lords remarriage will go array. The Philadelphia Story is an extraordinary film. The acting and film imagery are spectacular. Katherine Hepburn’s performance is truly inspiring, and her wardrobe is stunning. She plays the role as Tracy Lord so Cary Grant also plays the role as a jilted ex-husband wonderfully. Who is great at rattling Tracy Lords cage. I give this film 5 diamond rings! It has the perfect amount of romance, comedy, and drama. And the acting, storyline, and wardrobe are Film Rating:

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21 West 52nd Street New York, NY 10019 (212) 582-1400

���www.21club.com ���

CAPACITY: Under 30, 30 - 50, More than 50

The 21 Club is located conveniently in Mid-Town Manhattan. They have 10 beautiful private rooms that would be great for throwing any kind of engagement party or bridal shower. But if you want an extremely elegant event with a tremendous décor, I would suggest either the Orchid Room or the Wine Cellar Room. They both bring an old-fashion elegance to any day. Your guests will not only love the décor, but the food is amazing! Dishes like the Veal ‘Bolognese’ Penne with Roasted Tomato and Root Vegetable Sauce and Romano Cheese and Baked Chicken with Duxelle of Truffle and Herb and Champagne Sauce, will keep you coming back for a romantic dinner for two. They also have great event packages starting at $115,

and a Grand Award-winning wine list. The prices are a bit steep, but when you combine the food, atmosphere, and location, it is well worth a few more dollars.

Restaurant Rating:

Restaurant Review

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The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner: Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to

Frequently Asked Questions

The Knot’s Ultimate Wedding Planner book is great gift for any bride-to be. There is nothing as frustrating as preparing for your wedding without being organized. Not only will this book help you on your organization skills, but also it will give you amazing tips on creating your perfect wedding day for you. The specialist from the Knot also answer’s frequently asked question’s from current and past brides. The book is also small

enough to fit into anyone’s handbag, which is great when going from appointment to appointment when you are planning your wedding. I only give this book three diamond rings. The reasoning being, that The Knot already has an amazing website, with everything you need to know, plus more, for planning any wedding. And I don’t exactly understand the concept of The Knot creating a book. They

already have an unbelievable website, that tells you everything you need to know about planning a wedding, plus more! And most importantly, it’s free! Why by a $17.99 book, you have to lug around when you can just sign on with your iPad and find just as much information for free.

Book Rating:

Book Review

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Wedding Music Rescue

Look what the “YMCA” has done to our society

They should rename it to “Electric Shock

I’m sorry, but if I hear the Chicken Dance, Macarena, Conga, YMCA, Hokey Pokey, Locomotion, Electric Slide, and the Limbo Rock ever again, I may lose my mind.

A good tip for wedding music is to get classic songs that everyone will like. For example, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, etc. And play these songs at the beginning of the reception, when your older guests are still there. The last thing you want to do offend your grandmother with Nelly “Hot in Herre”. And yes, that’s how he spells it.

Save the younger generation music, until the end of the reception, when mostly all of the much older

generation has already left.

These tips may sound like common sense, but trust me there is always a wedding that just plays terrible/ inappropriate music the entire time.

Wedding Music Websites:

www.weddingwire.com

www.ourweddingsongs.com

www.nycityweddings.com

www.wedalert.com

Music Review

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The Cake Ball Trend

Cake ball wedding cakes have become the biggest thing, since the white dress! All brides and grooms always want something unique and trendy for their wedding day, and cake balls are it.

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Don’t arrive on this! Do not make the wedding cake made to look like a replica of the bride.

Don’t try to out class your wedding guest’s

Don’t flip the bird.

FOR THE LOVE OF…

Do not show your in-laws what only your husband should see.

Don’t make this man mad.

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Try to keep the paint balling till your Honeymoon

I can’t! This is awful.

Do not remind your guests of living and breathing hell

Sooo many don’ts! Well, I’ll just pick out one. Do not hang Mallards from your wedding arch.

If you need a small army to carry your gown’s train, Don’t wear it.

Just Don’t!

Don’t be a Trekky!

Do! Wear pants. That poor baby.

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ADVERTISER’S

1. The Knot 2. Vera Wang 3. Martha Stewart Wedding 4. Williams-Sonoma 5. Cartier 6. Tiffany & Co. 7. J. Crew Weddings 8. Klienfeld 9. Sottero and Midgley 10. M.A.C 11. David’s Bridal 12. Target: Club Wedd 13. Victoria’s Secret 14. Royal Caribbean 15. Macy’s 16. Crate & Barrel 17. Pottery Barn 18. Ikea 19. Dillard’s 20. WeddingChannel.com

21. Crest White Strips 22. Da Vinci Bridal 23. Nicole Miller 24. Kay Jewelers 25. American Express 26. Waterford 27. Kate Spade New York 28. Lenox 29. Bloomingdales 30. Bed Bath & Beyond 31. Michael C. Fina 32. Mikasa 33. Multi-Grain Cheerios 34. Poland Spring 35. Alfred Angelo 36. Forevermark 37. Kohl’s: Wedding Wishes 38. Minted 39. DSW: Designer Shoe

Warehouse 40. The Wedding Suite at

Nordstrom